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Lennon hails Celtic players after he worried about their safety

Neil Lennon was full of praise for his Celtic players after they overcame Arbroath 1-0 in the Scottish Cup fourth round on Wednesday night.

The Hoops battled to a narrow victory in horrendously cold conditions on a frozen pitch at Gayfield Park and the performance, although not fantastic, was hailed by the manager who had Adam Matthews to thank for the only goal of the night.

"It was a performance full of character," Lennon said.

"It was a horrible night. The pitch got worse as the game went on and you could see how difficult it was to play on. It became almost like an ice rink.

"I was worried about the safety of the players but they showed their professionalism tonight and great character. The pitch was definitely a leveller."

He added of Matthews, who struck a superb goal in the 18th minute: "He's a great athlete, he's got great pace and we've been asking him to do more of that.

"He was far more productive in his offensive play on Saturday and again tonight. He was probably our best outlet and the goal was a real thing of beauty."

About the author

Andrew Slevison is an avid sports fan, particularly of the world game. The Melbourne, Australia native, who has spent time living in London and travelling South America, takes a keen interest in the English Premier League and Major League Soccer and rates his best live footballing moment as the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil.